The History Boys

"I am your teacher. Whatever I do in this room is a token of my trust. I am in your hands. It is a pact. Bread eaten in secret. ‘I have put before your life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live’

Hector, Act 1

1 of 30

"Mr. Hector’s stuff’s not meant for the exam, sir. It’s to make us more rounded human beings."

Timms, Act 1

2 of 30

"I count examinations even for Oxford and Cambridge as the enemy of education. Which is not to say that I don’t regard education as the enemy of education, too."

Hector, Act 1

3 of 30

"All the effort went into getting there and then I had nothing left. I thought I’d got somewhere, then I found I had to go on."

Posner, Act 2

4 of 30

"All the effort went into getting there and then I had nothing left. I thought I’d got somewhere, then I found I had to go on."

The Headmaster, Act 2

5 of 30

'Pardox works well and mists up the windows'

Irwin, Act 1 (Deception and Morality)

6 of 30

'The new man seems clever' ... 'He does. Depressingly so.'

Hector and Mrs Lintott, Act 1 (Education)

7 of 30

'There's no better way of forgetting something than commerating'

Irwin, Act 1 (History)

8 of 30

'fourteen foreskins of Christ'

Irwin, Act 1 (Education)

9 of 30

'The First World War was a mistake, not a tragedy'

Iwrin, Act 1 (Morality and History)

10 of 30

'Truth is no more an issue in an examination than thirst at a wine tasting'

Irwin, Act 1 (Morality and Education)

11 of 30

'Why does [hector] lock the door?' ALSO 'What goes on in Mr Hector's lessons?'

Irwin, Act 1 (Morality and loyality - Boys evade question)

12 of 30

'Not useful sir, not like your lessons'

Posner, Act 1 (Loyality)

13 of 30

'It's just the boys seem to know more than they're telling'

Irwin to Hector, Act 1(Loyalty)

14 of 30

'Disability brings with it an assumption of sincerity.'

Irwin, Act 2 (Deception)

15 of 30

'Not clever enough, not anything enough really.'

Irwin, Act 2 (???)

16 of 30

'I never got in, I was at Bristol'

Irwin, Act 2 (Deception)

17 of 30

'Trust Irwin to lean the opposite way to everyone else.'

Scripps, Act 2 (???)

18 of 30

'Hector is a man of studied excentricity'

Stage directions, Hector, Act 1 (Deception)

19 of 30

'He hits [Timms] on the head with an exercise book'

Stage directions, Hector, Act 1 (Education]

20 of 30

'Whatever I do in this room is a token of my trust. Is it a pact, bread eaten in secret.'